NASA on Alert: Scientists Gear Up for Solar Storms at Mars
The Sun will be at peak activity this year, providing a rare opportunity to study how solar storms and radiation could affect future astronauts on…
MAVEN News
MAVEN, which stands for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, is a space probe developed by NASA to study the Martian atmosphere. Launched on November 18, 2013, MAVEN was designed to help scientists understand the dynamics and history of the atmosphere on Mars, particularly how it has changed over time. The probe’s mission focuses on determining how the planet’s atmosphere and water, presumed to have been more abundant in the past, were lost into space—providing insight into the planetary processes that could have potentially supported life. By analyzing the current state of the Martian upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the sun and solar wind, MAVEN helps scientists piece together the climatic evolution of Mars.
The Great Solar Wind Disappearance: Groundbreaking Discovery by NASA’s MAVEN Mission
NASA’s MAVEN detected a unique solar event that drastically affected Mars’ atmosphere, offering vital insights into the planet’s interaction with solar phenomena. In December 2022,…
Sun’s Curtain Call: Mars Missions Go Rogue During Solar Conjunction
Rovers and orbiters will continue collecting limited data during a two-week communications pause due to the position of Earth, the Sun, and the Red Planet….
Stunning Views of Mars Captured by Ultraviolet Eye Aboard NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft
NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft has produced two captivating ultraviolet images of Mars, taken during opposite points in the planet’s orbit around the Sun in 2022 and…
A Race Against Time: Quick Engineering Saves NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft
NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft Resumes Science & Operations, Exits Safe Mode After three months in safe mode, NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft has finally returned to normal science…
Physicists Explain Mysterious “Discrete Aurora” on Mars
Scientists have learned how discrete aurora is formed on Mars. In a new study, the physicists report that the upstream solar wind properties interacting with…
NASA and UAE Mars Missions Agree to Share Science Data
NASA’s MAVEN mission and the United Arab Emirates’ Hope Probe mission are paving the way toward greater scientific collaboration and data exchange between the two…
International Trio of Mars Orbiters Shows Small Dust Storms Help Dry Out the Red Planet
By combining observations from three international spacecraft at Mars, scientists were able to show that regional dust storms play a huge role in drying out…
Could the Surface of the Martian Moon Phobos Reveal Secrets of Mars’ Past?
The Martian moon Phobos orbits through a stream of charged atoms and molecules that flow off the Red Planet’s atmosphere, new research shows. Many of…
Heat and Dust Help Launch Martian Water High Into the Atmosphere Where It’s Lost to Space
Scientists using an instrument aboard NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft have discovered that water vapor near the surface of the Red…
Escape From Mars: Surprising Discovery in the Red Planet’s Atmosphere Helps Explain Martian Mystery
New University of Arizona-led research updates our understanding of how water escapes Mars — not like a leaky faucet but with a sudden splash. Mars…
Astronomers Mystified by Eerie Phenomenon on Mars: Ultraviolet “Nightglow” Spreads Across the Planet’s Sky Every Night
Every night on Mars, when the sun sets and temperatures fall to minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (-62 Celsius) and below, an eerie phenomenon spreads across…
NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft Observes Weird Glowing and Pulsing in Mars’ Night Sky
Vast areas of the Martian night sky pulse in ultraviolet light, according to images from NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft. The results are being used to illuminate…
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Teams Up With Observatories Around Solar System
At the heart of understanding our space environment is the knowledge that conditions throughout space — from the Sun to the atmospheres of planets to…
NASA’s Mars Orbiter Maps Electric Currents Around the Red Planet – Fundamental to Atmospheric Loss
Five years after NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft entered into orbit around Mars, data from the mission has led to the creation of a map of electric…
Scientists Were Way Off on the Martian Dynamo – “Very Different From What We Thought”
Mars had a global magnetic field much earlier—and much later—in the planet’s history than scientists have previously known. A planet’s global magnetic field arises from…
Unexpected Discovery by NASA’s MAVEN on Mars Helps Explain Disruptive Phenomenon on Earth
NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft has discovered “layers” and “rifts” in the electrically charged part of the upper atmosphere (the ionosphere) of…
Surprising Clues to Martian Climate Uncovered As NASA’s MAVEN Maps Winds in Mars’ Upper Atmosphere [Video]
Researchers have created the first map of wind circulation in the upper atmosphere of a planet besides Earth, using data from NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft that…